Islanded in a Stream of Stars
by Lyssita Lennon
Summary: After a battle gone wrong, Stanford and Agura are separated from the rest of Battle Force 5. Stranded on an unknown planet without their vehicles, no way to contact the team, and no battle key they have to rely on each other to survive or die trying.
1. Lost

Chapter 1. Lost

The air of the battle zone was filled with the unmistakable sounds of combat. Dust flew all around Agura as she kicked Kyburi back and ran towards the Reverb, which had crashed into a cluster of rocks causing its sonic cannons to break and the front end of the vehicle to partially crumble inward. While hand-to-hand combat with the Reds wasn't ideal, Stanford hadn't responded after the crash, and she was the closest one to him.

The Reds had caught them by surprise in this zone. Sage had sent them out to investigate a signal that had supposedly come from a lost data log. Instead, they were met by Krytus, his team, and their new weapon. Agura didn't know exactly what it was or what it did, only that it was powerful, and that it was kicking their collective asses.

She climbed up the hood of the Reverb and forced its door open. Stanford lay slumped forward in the seat, blood dripping onto his lap from both a gash across his forehead and his very likely broken nose. Shit. She pulled him out the seat and threw him over her shoulder, hauling ass trying to make it back to the Tangler.

"Agura, watch out!" Vert's voice rang over the comms. She turned in time to see Kytren pointing _something_ at her and everything flashed white.

...

The first thing Agura noticed was the quiet. The sounds of their fight with the Reds had completely dissipated, swallowed up by whatever Kyrten had done. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes, still unfocused from the blast of light, and blinked several times. When she could properly see again, her eyes went wide.

There were no Red Sentients, no Reverb spun out in the rocks, no Tangler, no team…

 _She was in a completely different battle zone._

She closed her eyes again, shaking her head. This wasn't happening. This wasn't real. Her eyes opened, and she was still in the middle of absolutely nowhere. She looked around frantic. A wave of relief washed over her when she caught sight of Stanford, still unconscious, sprawled out several feet away. She crawled over to him, not daring to trust her legs. He was still breathing, which was a good sign. His nose was definitely broken, though, but at least it seemed to be the only part of him that was. Good. They were both alive.

The next thing Agura did was check the comm link on her wrist.

"Vert?" She said into it, desperately trying to ignore the static. "Sherman? Spinner? Zoom? Anyone? Do you copy?"

Nothing. She grabbed Stanford's wrist and tried his comm.

More nothing.

She took several deep breaths. Okay, so not only were they stranded without their vehicles, they also had no working comm link to try and contact the team. And it their comms were out, that meant their beacons were offline as well. For a moment she was suddenly grateful that Stanford was unconscious because he would be panicking right about now, and that was the last thing she needed. She drew in another deep breath. The team would find them, she told herself. Sage could figure something out and they would be home in no time. There was no reason to panic.

Agura slowly picked herself up off the ground. She stood for a moment, testing her weight to make sure she was steady, before once again slinging Stanford over her shoulder. Her first priority had to be finding shelter. She had no idea what tricks this battle zone might be hiding and she didn't want to find out.

The land, for the most part, was flat. She headed towards the mountains in the distance, hoping to find a cave to hole up in until the team found them. The air around them was dry and tasted stale on her tongue, much like the air back on the Salt Flats. If it wasn't for the two suns burning brightly overhead, Agura would have guessed that Kytren's device had simply sent them home. Whatever that thing had been, it was dangerous, and she hoped it hadn't affected the rest of the team. She stopped in her tracks. She hadn't even considered that. If the rest of the team had somehow been affected-

She shook her head. It wouldn't do either her or Stanford any good to think about that now. Besides, even if the team had been affected, they had still been in their vehicles. With that in mind, she pressed on. If she could make it to the mountains before nightfall, she could find somewhere to rest. Stanford was starting to get heavy. She thought about trying to wake him up, but decided against it. He probably had a concussion and would only slow their pace stumbling around this strange desert. She walked on.

The suns were low in the sky by the time she reached the mountains. She didn't have to look for very long before finding a small cave, shallow enough that she could see the back, but deep enough that she could stretch out. She gently laid Stanford down on the ground. Her muscles ached as she stretched before sprawling out in the ground herself. She was exhausted. She wrapped her arms around herself and slept.

...

The first thing Stanford noticed upon waking was the pain in his face. He remembered crashing during the fight against the Reds and that was about it. He'd assumed the team had gotten him home safely, but that didn't explain why he hurt. Sage would have given him something for the pain, right? He slowly opened his eyes.

He had been expecting to see the light of the Hub, Sage hovering over him. Instead it was dark. He blinked several times, willing his eyes to adjust. It stayed dark, however. Then he noticed the ceiling. It wasn't the normal tech that the Hub was made of, but rock. Actual rock.

He slowly sat up. Where was he? He looked around, feeling a growing sense of panic rising in his chest. Tears sprung up in his eyes and it was suddenly becoming difficult to breathe. He checked the comm link on his wrist, but it wouldn't turn on. He was stranded out here, wherever here was, alone and with no way to contact the team. He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around himself. This couldn't be real.

"Stanford?"

He lifted his head immediately.

"Agura!" He cried in relief, launching himself at her as she came through the opening of wherever they were. He half expected her to shove him away, so when she hugged him back he was a little surprised. "Where are we? What happened?"

"I'm not sure." She said. "I'd pulled you out of the Reverb after it crashed and was trying to get back to the Tangler when Kyrten did _something_. I don't know what, but he pointed this thing at us and when the dust settled, we were here."

"But where is here?"

"I don't know, Stanford."

He shivered.

"The team will find us." Agura told him confidently. He nodded slowly. Without their comms and without their vehicles, it would probably take them some time, but Agura was right. The team would find them. They had to.

Agura was the first to pull out of their embrace. "I'm sorry I left." She said. "I wanted to see what was around here and I didn't know when you were going to wake up. You took a pretty nasty hit."

Stanford winced. He was definitely feeling it. "How bad does it look?"

"Bad. Your nose is broken."

" _Fuck."_ He whispered. Then louder, "You'll punch me in the face if it heals crooked, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Stanford. I'd love to punch you in the face." She was being sarcastic of course. Trying to make light of the situation. He laughed a little and looked around the cave again.

"Agura," he said her name quietly. "Promise you won't leave me along again."

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I promise. Whatever happens, we're in this together."

"You make it sound like we're married." He teased.

She dropped his hand. "I will punch you, Stanford."

They sat there without speaking for several moments.

"So, what do we do now?" Stanford asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Survive."


	2. Wandered

Chapter 2. Wandered

The twin suns rose overhead, painting the morning sky a brilliant gold. Stanford walked the unfamiliar terrain just a step behind Agura as they looked for something to eat in this God-forsaken desert. The first thing he was doing after the team rescued them was going to Zeke's and ordering a whole large pizza for himself. Okay, maybe it would be the second thing considering his nose was broken, but if he and Agura didn't find something soon, he might not have to worry about that much longer.

Stanford pushed the thought from his mind. Agura would come up with something. She was the best at this survival stuff. He was glad that if he had to be stranded in an alien desert with someone, that it was Agura. Besides, the team would find them soon anyways. He figured a week at most. He and Agura could survive for a week. Though, sleeping in a cave in his battle suit had already fucked up his back. He added a massage to his list of things to do once the team rescued them.

"Stanford!" Agura called. He blinked several times. She was a good distance ahead of him. He hadn't realized he'd slowed down so significantly. She tapped her foot as he closed the gap between them.

"Sorry." He said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"We have to stick together." She reminded him, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Right. Sorry, love."

She gave him a flat look at the pet name and walked on. Stanford made sure to pay attention to the pace she set this time. Agura would never actually leave him behind, but she might let him wander around alone for a few minutes if he got distracted again. At that point, he figured he probably would have deserved it.

They walked in relative silence. Stanford wanted to say something, but he held his tongue. He shouldn't be distracting Agura when she was literally trying to keep them alive. He could distract her later, when they were safely back on Earth. Whenever that would be, he thought bitterly. He shook his head. It had been one night. The team was coming for them.

Ahead of him, Agura stopped abruptly. Stanford stood behind her, peeking over her shoulder.

"What is it?" He asked.

She shushed him and pointed. Before them was a little stream, no wider than a couple of feet. But that wasn't what Agura was pointing at. Drinking from the stream was some kind of creature. It looked somewhere between a lion, with the claws of a bear, and an alligator's teeth. Big teeth. It was bent over the stream.

"What do we do?" Stanford whispered.

"Back the fuck up and wait our turn."

She didn't need to tell him twice. He turned on his heel and pretty much ran for it. Stupid battle zone and its stupid creatures. If he had the Reverb-

But he didn't have the Reverb, and Agura didn't have the Tangler so they were stuck waiting behind a giant rock for that thing to leave. Which it did. Eventually, but not before he could feel the heat from the two suns starting to get to him. Agura was sweating too, but she said nothing about it. He thought about taking off the top half of his shock suit and tying it at his waist, but he'd only been wearing a tank top and jeans when the hub alarm went off and he didn't feel like getting sunburn on his shoulders too. It was bad enough he could feel it starting on his face and ears.

They approached the stream slowly, in case another thing showed up. The water looked clean, that much Stanford was able to tell. Still, he let Agura make sure it was okay before splashing water over his face and taking a nice, long drink. He waited by the stream while she looked around the immediate area for something that could be edible, but it was a desert after all. They were lucky to have found this.

As the day continued on, they kept walking, but were careful to remain in the vicinity of the little stream of water. Agura had found a little outcropping of rocks that offered enough protection for them to sleep under that night. He stared up at the sky, surprised by its lack of a moon, while checking off one more day they had spent here before wrapping his arms around himself and attempting to sleep.

...

When Stanford awoke the next morning, he found Agura curled up around him, her face pressed into the back of his shoulder and her arm draped across his waist. He was slightly confused because he knew they didn't fall asleep like that, but it also felt nice and warm so he didn't move until Agura did. He turned to face her, grinning.

"Agura, love, if you wanted to get me away from the team for a quick cuddle," he said cheekily, "all you had to do was ask."

She snorted and shoved him lightly. "It got cold last night. I don't know how you didn't wake yourself up shivering."

"Whatever you say, darling."

She rolled her eyes. "Just get up. We have another long day ahead of us."

Stanford sighed and got to his feet. Maybe today would be the day the team found them.

They walked, and walked, and walked, still never straying far away from the stream. The suns were high in the sky when Agura told him they were stopping for a bit. Stanford laid out on his back by the edge of the stream watching Agura pace back and forth. She was muttering something, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He looked over at the stream. The clear, blue water seemed to grow brighter the longer he looked. And was it just a trick of the light, or was it glowing now too?

"Agura!" He said, jumping to his feet and hiding behind her.

She turned towards the stream and they both gasped.

Standing on the other side of the little stream was a Blue Sentient.


	3. Aided

Chapter 3. Aided

"Who are you?" Agura asked the Sentient, a mix of wonder and fear causing her voice to tremble.

The Sentient eyed curiously.

"A more fitting question," they responded, "would be who are you?"

"I-I asked you first."

"True." The Sentient said. "But you wear the symbols of my people."

Whoever they were, they had a point. Agura didn't get the chance to reply, however, ad the Sentient began speaking again.

"Are you some sort of bounty hunters? Here to force me into hibernation and drag me home?" Agura watched in horror as blue energy started building up in their hands. "I won't go back."

"Wait!" Agura called out. "We're not here to take you back! We're just lost."

The Sentient looked at her and Stanford with an expression that she couldn't place. They raised their hands, still filled with swirling blue energy, and Agura winced as they discharged it towards the sky.

"That still doesn't explain why you wear the symbols of my people, huntress."

 _Huntress_. It was what the symbol on the shoulder of her shock suit meant, and Stanford's, it meant artillery expert. No wonder this Sentient thought they were bounty hunters.

"We're part of an elite team," Agura explained, "to stop the destruction of the multiverse at the hands of the Red Sentients-"

The Sentient scoffed. "So, human, you've been dragged into their little war, have you? Tell me, how much of the multiverse has already been destroyed because of it?"

Agura and Stanford exchanged looks. This Sentient must have been away from the twin planets for a while.

"Only the Blue and Red Homeworlds have been devastated." She said slowly. "The Reds were all put into stasis by the Blues, and then the Blues fell shortly to the Vandals after."

"Good. It serves them right."

"Shouldn't you care that you're one of the last survivors of your people?" Agura protested.

"Understand this, human. I wanted no part in the war between Sentients. It was why I chose to leave my homeworld and come here. If both planets fell, it is because that was the will of the multiverse. Eons of crimes cannot go unpunished." The Sentient turned their back to them. "I cannot promise much, but I will help you if you desire."

"We're going, right, Agura?" Stanford whispered, still hiding behind her shoulder.

"I don't know, Stanford." She whispered back. This Sentient wasn't like Sage. They didn't seem to care about anything, besides them self, obviously. If anything, their offer to help was probably just to get her and Stanford out of wherever this was so they could continue living uninterrupted.

"Well?" The Sentient tapped their foot. "Are you coming?"

Stanford looked at Agura, eyes pleading.

She sighed. "Yes. We're coming."

"Excellent." The Sentient said as Stanford and Agura crossed the stream, followed behind them as they walked. "My name is Solaris. My partner and I sensed your presence when you arrived on this planet. He will be thrilled to learn that you're still alive."

Agura had to force herself to keep moving. So, there were two Sentients here. She really hoped they weren't walking into some kind of trap. Instead, she focused on Stanford's voice as he cheerily chatted with Solaris.

"I'm Stanford Isaac Rhodes IV," he said. "but you can just call me Stanford. I understand wanting to get away from it all, being one hundred and eighty-ninth in line for the throne and such."

Agura really wished he would shut up. Did he not realize that they could be in danger? Just because this Sentient was blue, that didn't necessarily mean that they were good. But he just kept talking.

"What about you, huntress," Solaris turned back to look at her. "Do you have a name?"

She was quiet for a moment, and then. "Agura."

Solaris nodded, satisfied, and continued on.

The three of them walked until the suns were low in the sky. Stanford leaned heavily on Agura, his breathing hard and labored. He was exhausted. And so was she, for that matter. Two days with nothing but water was really starting to take its toll.

"We are almost there." Solaris told them. "It is just past this rock formation."

Agura breathed a sigh of relief. She dragged Stanford along a little faster. In the distance, she could see a structure. It was larger than she'd anticipated, but she wasn't about to start complaining now. She just wanted to rest. Solaris pushed the door open, and she and Stanford stepped inside.

Several tables and chairs were set up around the room. There was what looked like a desk tucked in one of the corners with a long hallway behind it. A second hallway jutted off at the opposite end of the room and there was a staircase next to it leading up. What was this place? She glanced at Stanford, who had already collapsed into one of the chairs.

There was a slow creak in the direction of the first hallway. She turned, and immediately wished she hadn't.

Solaris had disappeared and standing before them was a Red Sentient.

Stanford fell out of his chair while Agura jumped in front of him, her fists raised.

"Please." The Red Sentient said. "I do not wish to fight you. I only want to help."

Yeah, right, Agura thought. She knew following Solaris had been a bad idea. She got ready to swing.

"STOP!" Solaris's voice echoed through the room, knocking Agura off her feet. She looked up in time to see Solaris standing over her and Stanford, something round in either hand. Solaris slammed the items down on the nearest table. "Kyrion is not your enemy, huntress."

"Solaris, please, they are frightened, my love."

Love? There was no way she'd heard that right. A Blue and a Red would never-

"I can see the doubt on your face, human." The Red, Kyrion, spoke gently. "But I assure you, it is the truth. Solaris has been my partner for many centuries. It is why she and I left our homeworlds. Despite what you may believe about my people, we are no threat to you."

Agura blinked as Kyrion's words settled in. _We are no threat to you._ Did she really believe that? Could a Red Sentient really love a Blue? It didn't seem real. Maybe she and Stanford were still in the desert and she was just hallucinating. Hunger could do that you. Speaking of hunger, her stomach growled loudly just then.

Solaris sighed. "If you are finished cowering on the floor, there is a meal prepared at the table for you."

Agura looked at the table Solaris gestured to, and sure enough there were two bowls with steam rising from them. Stanford was on his feet and with a spoonful of whatever before she could protest. She watched him carefully. When nothing happened after a few moments, she rose to her feet, and wandered over to the table. It looked like stew in the bowl. She sat down and hesitantly took a spoonful. It could have been the blandest, most disgusting thing ever, but right now it tasted like heaven. She did her best to eat slowly.

Solaris and Kyrion said nothing as she and Stanford ate. Kyrion briefly disappeared down the back hallway before returning with some bread and water. He waited until they were finished before speaking again.

"How did the two of you end up here?" He asked.

"We were battling against Krytus and his team." Agura said. "We usually fight in our vehicles, but Stanford crashed, and I was trying to help when Kytren blasted us with something. When the dust settled, we woke up here."

Kyrion hummed. "Krytus, you say? I can see why you were so afraid of me then. He's a nasty one, isn't he Solaris?" Solaris nodded. "As for the device," he continued. "It sounds like a random coordinate generator fixed with a jump crystal. The crystal breaks after one use, so they're nearly impossible to track. You're very lucky you ended up here and not in the middle of a sun."

"Where is here, exactly?"

"Planet X-9J37. Located in the lower X quadrant of the multiverse. It is a favored refuge for criminals and exiles. Precisely why Solaris and I chose it. No one would come looking for us here."

Criminals. Great. All the more reason for her and Stanford to get back to earth as quickly as possible.

"You have the battle key, though." Stanford piped up. "You can just reprogram it and send us back to earth, right?"

Kyrion shook his head. "I'm sorry. The battle key was destroyed a long time ago."

"What?" Agura and Stanford exclaimed together.

"We did not wish to be followed." Solaris said. "So, I destroyed it."

"We had no reason to keep it around," Kyrion reasoned.

Untraceable jump crystals. No battle key. Things weren't sounding good.

"How will we get home, then?" Stanford asked quietly.

This time it was Solaris who spoke. "You'll need a good, steady vehicle and at least a dozen jump crystals. Earth is far from here, marksman."

"And how do we get those?"

"Dust."

"Dust?"

"Currency." Kyrion explained. "Named as such because it leaves a light film on the fingers, even if you run it under water."

Agura frowned. "How do we get that?"

"You earn it." Solaris said bluntly. "Plenty of work around if you know where look. The local bosses are always looking for hired muscle. I'm sure the two of you are capable of holding your own in a fight."

Mercenaries, Agura realized. She shook her head. "Isn't there another way?"

Both Solaris and Kyrion said nothing. Great, Agura thought. Maybe they would get lucky and the team would somehow find a way to track the jump crystal before they had to do anything too bad. She took a deep breath. "Where do we get started?"

"Tomorrow." Kyrion said. "For now, you should rest. There is a room upstairs prepared for your use." He handed her a small, metal key. There were symbols she didn't recognize engraved on the worn surface. Agura thanked him, and she and Stanford trudged up the stairs. The engraving on the key matched the first door near the top of the steps and to the right. So, this was a hotel, then. Or something very like it. Agura pushed the thought of other possible guests from her mind and turned the key in the lock.

The room was decently sized. She would have to look it over later, however, because the minute she caught sight of the bed in the center of the room she was reminded just how tired she was. She practically jumped on the bed, sighing contentedly as she sunk into the mattress.

Stanford stared at her from the doorway.

"What are you doing?" She asked him. "Aren't you going to sleep?"

He shifted nervously. "Agura, there's only one bed in here."

Oh.

 _Oh._

Shit.

She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't seem to get the words out. "Um, I, uh, I guess-"

Kyrion was the door suddenly. "I'm sorry." He apologized quickly, handing Stanford a key. "I shouldn't have assumed. Sleep well." He was gone as quickly as he appeared.

Stanford looked at the key in his hand, and then across the hall. "Goodnight, Agura." He closed the door and she could hear the one across the hall creak open, and then close. She tried not to think as she pulled a blanket over her shoulders. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was gone.


End file.
